Hindi English Translation || Editorial || In the political thicket: On Speaker election of Maharashtra Assembly

In the political thicket: On Speaker election of Maharashtra Assembly

The election of the Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly revealed (प्रत्यक्ष करना) the partisan (पक्षपातपूर्ण) role of the Governor

The office of the Speaker in the Maharashtra Assembly was vacant (खाली) for nearly 17 months, but it was filled up by an election held within two days of a new regime taking over. Rahul Narvekar of the BJP won with 164 votes in his favour and only 107 against, a margin that reflects the extent of support that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde enjoys in the House now. What facilitated (सुविधा देना) Mr. Narvekar’s election was the change of heart on the part of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who has been refusing to fix a date for the election. In a partisan manner that has become typical for Governors, Mr. Koshyari has been citing (उद्धृत करना, अदालत में तलब करना) the pendency (लम्बित) of litigation (मुकदमेबाज़ी), related to amendments to the Assembly Rules on the mode of electing a Speaker, to avoid fixing a date as required by Rule 6. Even though the Supreme Court is yet to dispose (निपटाना) of an appeal in this matter, the Governor seems to have quietly withdrawn his objection and fixed the date for the Speaker’s election. Significantly, the election took place by open ballot as envisaged (विचार करना) by the changed rules. The BJP, while in the opposition, was rooting for a secret ballot in the Speaker’s election, apparently in the expectation, even much before the Shinde camp’s revolt, that some members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents will vote against the ruling alliance. On the other hand, former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray favoured an open ballot as a possible deterrent against crossvoting.

It is worth noting that the Constitution envisages no role for the Governor in the Speaker’s election, which is the prerogative (विशेषाधिकार) of the House. It is only as a courtesy to the fact that the Governor is part of the legislature that the Assembly Rules say that the Governor shall fix the date for the Speaker’s election. It obviously means that the Governor shall do so on the advice of the Council of Ministers, but incumbents (निर्भर) in Raj Bhavan entertain a perverse notion these days that they exercise power at their whim. If any Governor believed that he had any say in the matter of fixing a date for the Speaker’s election, it is both contrary to the constitutional scheme and a sign of playing a politically partisan role. One part of the problem was that the amended (संशोधन) rule said the Governor shall fix a date “on the recommendation of the Chief Minister”, raising a doubt whether it was an individual piece of advice. The Bombay High Court, however, noted that there is nothing to suggest that the CM’s opinion did not have the support of his Cabinet or that any constitutional provision has been violated. As the erstwhile (भूतपूर्व) dissidents (मतभेद करनेवाला) from the Shiv Sena have emerged the present-day rulers and demonstrated their majority in the Assembly, these controversies may mean little now. However, it again shows that constitutional functionaries (पदाधिकारी) never rise above the political thicket (a dense group of bushes or trees).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.Reveal (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रत्यक्ष करना
English Meaning - Make (previously unknown or secret information) known to others.

2.Partisan (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - पक्षपातपूर्ण
English Meaning - Prejudiced or blind adherence in favour of something.

3.Vacant (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - खाली
English Meaning - Empty, Unoccupied

4.Facilitated (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - सुविधा देना
English Meaning - To assist the progress of

5.Cite (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - उद्धृत करना, अदालत में तलब करना
English Meaning - To call upon officially.

6.Pendency (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - लम्बित
English Meaning - The state, condition, or period of being pending or awaiting settlement.

7.Litigation (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - मुकदमेबाज़ी
English Meaning - The process of taking legal action

8.Dispose (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - निपटाना
English Meaning - Get rid of it by throwing it away or giving or selling it to someone else.

9.Envisage (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - विचार करना
English Meaning - Contemplate or conceive of as a possibility or a desirable future event.

10.Prerogative (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - विशेषाधिकार
English Meaning - A right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class.

11.Incumbent (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निर्भर
English Meaning - Necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility.

12.Amend (Verb)

Hindi Meaning - संशोधन
English Meaning - To modify or change through a formal procedure.

13.Erstwhile (Adjective)

Hindi Meaning - भूतपूर्व
English Meaning - In the past.

14.Dissident (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - मतभेद करनेवाला
English Meaning - A person who opposes the official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state.

15.Functionaries (Noun)

Hindi Meaning - पदाधिकारी
English Meaning - A person who has to perform official functions or duties

16.Thicket (Noun)

English Meaning - a dense group of bushes or trees.